Are You Rapture Ready? A Bible Study from Anne Graham Lotz

Several days before I am due to go on a trip, I begin to plan and prepare for it. My executive assistant briefs me on what my responsibilities will be. My travel assistant goes over flight and hotel arrangements, as well as alerting me to departure and arrival times. I decide the messages I will give and the clothes I will wear. I make arrangements for my pets to be cared for and my home to be secure in my absence. And to make sure nothing is forgotten or overlooked, I make a checklist that I continually reference. Preparing to leave takes time, thought and energy.

The Bible teaches that all followers of Jesus are to plan and prepare for a “trip.” The trip is not only undertaken when we move to Heaven following death, but it is also a very unique one that will take place at the end of human history as we have known it. We are told that believers in the last generation will not experience physical death, but will be caught up in what is called the “rapture”… the “snatching away”… to meet Jesus in the air and be reunited with loved ones who have died in Christ and have gone before us. It will be the trip of a lifetime—a trip that is out of this world. Are you ready?

Read John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58.

I. THE COMING TRIP

What is the primary purpose of the trip, also known as the rapture? Read John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; and 1 Thessalonians 5:10.

What phrases indicate we will leave suddenly? See 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and Matthew 24:36-44.

Are you ready to leave at a moment’s notice?

What are two blessings of knowing about our trip in advance? Read Matthew 24:44; 1 Thessalonians 4:18; and 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

II. THE CHECKLIST

A. Abounding in Love

Where does the command to love others come from? See John 13:34-35 and 1 Thessalonians 4:9.